Can you die from drinking too much water?

Question

I just need to know because my friend said you can and when i said my aunt drinks about 8 bottles a day she gave me that "oh she can be in trouble" look but I don't really think you can die from drinking a lot of water because water is good for you and that's only if you don't have a balanced diet. I have a balanced diet so I just think that her just saying her PREDICTION but anyway i totally disagree. Tell me because I want to know.

Answer 1

8 glasses throughout the day are fine, but if you drink too much in too soon of a time, it can kill you

Answer 2

Yes you can die from drinking water but you have to drink a lot of water.

8 bottles means nothing without saying the size of the bottles. If the bottles are 4 ounces each, no problem, but if the bottles are 5 gallons each, then yes - a problem.

Answer 3

If you drink to much water to fast then yes you can die. It happened at a radio show a few months ago they had a constest on who could drink water the fastest and how much and the winner died a few hours later from blowing up from all the water intake. But if you drink moderatly and not all that water in a couple hours your fine.

Answer 4

Yes indeed. A couple of hundred people worldwide die of excessive water consumption each year. But one has to drink more than 15 liters or so in a day before it can become deadly.

Answer 5

One normally drinks water guided by thirst or by specific fluid limits charted out for them on medical grounds,intake in these circumstances can never be harmful.If one sets out to drink water with a vengeance as happened to the lady mentioned in the drinking contest it will naturally be harmful,we also are unaware of this particular ladies medical status,so it complicates matters.Hponatraemia is a low sodium level in the blood which can result from any number of medical conditions, too numerous to be listed in an answer of this type .

Answer 6

YES! There was a case of this once. A woman played a game for a radio station, the game was to see how much water you could drink b4 going to the bathroom. She eventually contracted a brain anurism and died. The autopsy showed that she died of over-hydration. It is possible, so just be careful how much you drink.

Answer 7

January 15, 2007

Woman Killed In Wii-Related Competition
A twenty-eight year old Sacramento mother of three has died of water intoxication after taking part in a local radio competition to win a Wii console.

Jennifer Strange was found dead on Friday at her home after taking part in a contest named “Hold your wee for a Wii” at the studios of radio station KDND 107.9. The competition involved drinking large quantities of water, with the last person to go to the toilet winning a Wii console – currently out of stock in most of North America.

An Associated Press interview with another contestant, named James Ybarra, claimed that contestants were initially given eight ounce bottles of water to drink every fifteen minutes, with larger bottles being used once contestants began to drop out. According to Ybarra, “They told us if you don't feel like you can do this, don't put your health at risk." He described the victim as “a nice lady” and that “she was telling me about her family and her three kids and how she was doing it for her kids."

According to Wikipedia's definition of the condition, water intoxication (also known as hyperhydration or water poisoning) is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain function that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is upset by a rapid intake of water. It is unclear how serious a danger to the contestant’s health KDND knew the competition to be at the time.

John Geary, vice president and marketing manager for Entercom Sacramento, the station's owner, claimed to the AP that station personnel were “stunned” when they heard of Strange's death. "We are awaiting information that will help explain how this tragic event occurred," he said. The incident has already been widely reported by mass media outlets around the world.

Answer 8

It is true. You can die from drinking too much water because it can dilute the nutrients in the blood to a dangerously low level. It can reduce sodium (salt) which when too low can cause confusion etc and most of all it can cause kidney failure - not a nice thing!

Deaths have been recorded from drinking to much water.

Just out of interest to show you go to bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6293029.stm they have a report of a woman who died recently.

Answer 9

absolutely. google it. a girl recently died on a radio talk show contest for drinking the most water and not peeing afterwards. thats the trick, you got to let it out or you will die.

apparently, if you drink too much water, it dilutes all your essential mineral and vitamin levels in your blood, especially potassium, and you end up getting a severe head ache, dizzyness, nausea, then you pass out.........then die, if not treated.

drinking alot of water over the course of the day is fine, as long as its spaced out and your letting it out as well.

Answer 10

yes u can. It can also lead 2 u having fluid build up in ur body(around the lungs etc.). Plus that lady tht entered tht radio contest died from drinking an abundance of water. Drink up but not 2 much sweetheart! :)

Answer 11

yes! some radio station had a "who can drink the most water?" contest, and a woman died from drinking too much water.. 8 bottles a day is fine, but if you drink gallons and gallons you could potentially kill yourself.. it will probably start hurting and giving you bad stomach cramps before you run into danger though.. it's the people who keep on drinking more and more even though it hurts who are in danger.. just listen to your body..